1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exercising device carrying an elastic ball on a stretchable tether. In particular, the present invention relates to an exercising device such as a hip-mounted rebound board with a precision tether adjuster, wherein the length of the tether and its vertical position with respect to the face of the rebound board are easily and accurately adjustable to suit each individual user, thereby providing the required coordination between the board and the tether respective to each individual user.
2. Discussion of Background
Medical professionals increasingly emphasize the importance of healthy lifestyles, including the dual roles of diet and exercise, in maintaining well-being throughout one""s life. By way of example, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the incidence of certain types of malignancies. Aerobic exercise helps maintain lung capacity and reduces the rate of heart disease, weight training helps build muscle mass, and weight-bearing exercise slows the rate of bone loss associated with osteoporosis.
Many people find it difficult to establish and maintain a regular, long-term exercise program. Their reasons vary, but typically include some combination of the following: lack of time, lack of suitable equipment, no place to store equipment, no suitable facilities within a reasonable distance from home or office, no interest in organized sports or group exercise classes, or sheer boredom with a chosen exercise regimen. Thus, much exercise equipment is purchased on impulse and languishes, unused, in the owner""s garage or basement.
Clearly, the availability of simple, compact, cost-effective exercise equipment that provides beneficial results while being easy and fun to use would help many people maintain their commitment to exercising over the long term. A variety of game and exercise devices has been developed to address this need, some of them aimed at training for team sports. Several devices include closures of VELCRO or other hook-and-loop material; others use VELCRO to attach game pieces to a game board. For example, Hauter""s waist-mounted soccer training apparatus has an adjustable belt, a tether, and a mesh net for holding a soccer ball (U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,760). The length of the belt is adjustable via a VELCRO closure; a cord adjustment permits the user to adjust the length of the tether.
Clark, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,206) disclose a hip-mounted polo-like game device, including a belt, a tethered ball, and a playing ball. The length of the belt can be adjusted via a VELCRO closure or a conventional buckle closure; the length of the tether can be adjusted by a loop or a VELCRO tab.
May (U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,715) shows a game device having two frames, each frame belted to a player""s waist. Each frame has a horizontal target surface laid out in VELCRO. The frames are connected by an elastic cord, from which hangs a ball covered in mating VELCRO fabric.
Other types of devices have a plurality of sites for securing balls, game pieces, and other objects. Stewart (U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,334) discloses a throw and catch game where each player wears a vest having several VELCRO patches and scoring data. The object of the game is to throw a soft projectile (a cube with a mating VELCRO patches on each side) at another player.
Fidalgo""s body contact game is played with an adjustable belt having a plurality of hooks which are attached to mounts on the belt (U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,748). The belt has a VELCRO closure and several VELCRO patches to which various game pieces can be attached.
The Roberts (U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,387) athletic shoes have flexible handles which assist the user in securing a hold on his feet or toes to perform various exercises. The shoes have several pairs of snaps for securing the handles; the length of each handle can be adjusted via a VELCRO closure.
Fryer (U.S. Pat. No. 3,479,027) shows several harnesses, a tie, and a cape, all bearing several VELCRO patches to which a series of game pieces (with VELCRO backings) can be attached. All of the above-described devices use hook-and-loop type materials such as VELCRO in a conventional manner, either to provide an adjustable closure or to attach one item to another.
Devices with adjustable tethers are also known in the art. For example, Killion, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,258) describe a soccer training device that includes a waist-mounted belt and a flexible, elastic tether for the ball. They suggest adjusting the length of the tether by a buckle arrangement.
DiSabatino, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,822) disclose an exercise and game apparatus with a belt and shoulder strap. The strap has several loops to which the user can attach the tether of a resilient ball; the length of the tether can be adjusted.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,432 (entitled xe2x80x9cHip Mounted Exercising Devicexe2x80x9d), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, I describe an aerobic exercising device that mounts across the hips of the user. The device includes a rebound board, a belt, a ball, and an elastic tether. The belt goes around the user""s hips and holds the rebound board against the user""s front; one end of the elastic tether is attached to the ball, and the other end is attached to the rebound board. The ball is rebounded back and forth from the rebound board by the reciprocal back-and-forth movement of the user""s hips. This exercise places emphasis on the hips, thighs, stomach, and buttocks while elevating the heart rate to aerobic levels.
Frequent tether adjustments are required to enjoy the full range of use of the Hip Mounted Exercising Device. These adjustments relate to the length of the tether and to its vertical position of attachment along the face of the rebound board. The tether adjustments must coordinate with the weight and size ball being used, with the height, weight, and body configuration of the user, and also with each individual user""s peculiarity of motion. A high degree of accuracy is essential in making these adjustments: even slight variations in the length and vertical position of the tether can adversely affect the rhythm required to propel the ball to its maximum distance and keep it in constant play (it is when the ball is thus in full play that the maximum aerobic benefits of the Hip Mounted Exercising Device are derived). To the user, it soon becomes evident that adjusting the tether as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,432, is cumbersome and time consuming; and, even through tedious trial and error, accuracy (i.e., optimum length and placement) is virtually impossible to achieve. Making the necessary tether adjustments limits the user""s overall enjoyment, and also limits the range of use and effectiveness of the Hip Mounted Exercising Device.
There is a need for an adjustable tether that is easy to customize, and that eliminates the time-consuming, inherently imprecise limitations of the Hip Mounted Exercising Device. A tether that can be quickly and accurately adjusted to meet an individual user""s needs is crucial to obtaining the full benefits of the device. Such a tether would also be useful for other devices where its length and position may need to be adjusted.
According to its major aspects and broadly stated, the present invention includes a method and a user-adjustable device for achieving high levels of aerobic exercise in an enjoyable fashion. The device includes a rebound board, a first strip of hook-and-loop fastening material attached to the rebound board, and a precision tether adjuster including a tether having a first end attached to a ball and a second end attached to a second, mating strip of hook-and-loop fastening material. The tether is threaded through a hole in the second strip. Thus threaded, with the weight of the ball pulling the tether taut, the second strip is held in front of the rebound board and the tether is moved up or down through the hole to determine the particular user""s desired length. The excess length of the tether is then wrapped around the second strip, which is mated horizontally across the first strip at the appropriate vertical level for the user. The length and vertical position of the tether are now optimized to suit the user""s requirements, and the tether is secured firmly between the mating strips of hook-and-loop fabric.
An important feature of the present invention is the precision tether adjuster, which facilitates adjustments in both the tether""s length and vertical position with respect to the rebound board. The quick and accurate adjustability of the tether, both in length and in vertical position with respect to the rebound board, is a feature of paramount importance: it promotes surprising ease in adjusting the device to an individual user""s skill, exercise style, and desired intensity of exercise (mild, strenuous, etc.). It also permits the user to change the length and position of the tether as his or her needs change, whether to accommodate a different exercise intensity, increasing skill in the use of the device, or a ball having a different size or weight. Furthermore, the invention allows a single user to have several balls available for use with a single rebound board, whether balls of different sizes or weights, or balls with tethers of different lengths for different exercise routines. Alternatively, several users can share a single board, with each user having his or her own, customized, ball-and-tether combination.
Since the length of the tether and its vertical position along the face of the rebound board are independently adjustablexe2x80x94one does not alter the otherxe2x80x94precise coordination between the two adjustments is easily accomplished. Indeed, the horizontal position of the tether may also be adjusted if desired. The ease, speed, and precision that the present invention provides in making these essential tether adjustments enhances all aspects of using the Hip Mounted Exercising Device.
Another feature of the present invention is the material used for the first and second strips of the precision tether adjuster. Either of the strips may be made of hook-type or loop-type fastening material, with the other strip made of a mating material. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the second strip is made of a material having sufficient stiffness that the strip does not readily bend when wound with the tether; thus, the second strip remains substantially flat and easily attachable to the first strip even when snugly wound with the tether. Laminated materials having a hook surface on one side and a loop surface on the reverse side are broadly suitable for use with the invention; hook-type or loop-type materials attached to backing layers may also be useful. Second strips wherein the softer, loop side faces outwards when the second strip is mated to the first strip are generally preferred as providing a more comfortable xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d and at least somewhat more traction while pressing the strip in place on the rebound board.
Still another feature of the present invention is the rebound board, which can be made of wood, plastic, metal, or other suitable material. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the board rests against the user""s pelvic area, and provides a rebound surface for the ball. Appropriate movement of the user""s hips and torso causes the ball to bounce off the board, extend outwards therefrom, and be returned thereto by the tether. Alternatively, the rebound board may be some other game or exercise device from which a ball is rebounded back and forth: a bat, paddle, or other hand-held device, a board attached to a wall or other suitable support, and so forth. Both skill and uniform rhythm are required to maintain the repetitive bounding of the ball on the rebound board, thus, continued use builds skill and provides significant aerobic exercise.
Yet another feature of the present invention is its flexibility, since the device can be used to achieve gentle, rhythmic exercise (with gentle body movements), or more vigorous exercise (with more strenuous movement and, optionally, weights held in the hands or strapped to the wrists).
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a careful reading of the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments presented below and accompanied by the drawings.